Hitting coach Josue Perez and coach Humberto Miranda will be new to the staff this season.

Last yearâ€™s training and conditioning tandem will return in athletic trainer Jacob Newburn and strength and conditioning coach Anthony Miller.

Richardson, 51, returns for his third season in Hickory after leading the Crawdads to a first-half North Division Championship in 2011, the first since 2002, as well as the South Atlantic League playoffs for the second consecutive season.

The Crawdads also finished with a league-best record of 79-58 during the 2011 season.

Richardson opens the 2012 season as one of Hickoryâ€™s most accomplished managers all-time, as he holds the third-best winning percentage (.558) in Crawdads history and is second in overall wins (154).

This season, Richardson will overtake Tony Beasley as the winningest manager with 12 victories.

Overall, he enters his sixth season in the Rangers organization, having spent three years with the Arizona League Rangers (Rookie) prior to taking over the reins in Hickory.

Before joining the Rangers system, Richardson spent 20 years coaching in the competitive California High School baseball ranks.

Davis, 50, returns for his second season in Hickory after a successful 2011 campaign.

The 2011 Crawdads pitching staff combined to lead the SAL with 1199 strikeouts and also put together the fifth-lowest team ERA at 3.77.
Prior to his time with Hickory, Davis spent time as a coach for baseball powerhouseÂ Bolles Academy in Jacksonville, Fla.

Davis pitched extensively in the Major Leagues, posting a 113-96 record and a 4.02 ERA in 442 games, including 239 starts with Baltimore (1982-86, 1992), San Diego (1987), Oakland (1987-89, 1993), Kansas City (1990-91) and Detroit (1993-94).

He was also a member of three clubs that competed in the World Series, including two winners â€” the 1983 Orioles and 1989 Athletics.